The Lieutenant
by Tower
Summary: Katara's been kidnapped! 18 yr old Aang finds a former Fire Nation Lieutenant to help him track her down. First, Aang has to find the missing peices behind a woman called 'Mirage'. Little does he know, that Katara is concealing a secret of her own. Told through OC and Aang's POV.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: This story is more of a continuation after the series ended but there are some things that happened in the series that will be added (by me) to make it more interesting. Don't worry, the timeline ends up the same. I try to get things chronologically in order and plausible enough, but I apologize for inconsistencies that might arise. This story is being told through two characters-Aang and the Lieutenant. Also, I do not have a name for the Lieutenant. His name is simply 'the Lieutenant'. If this is confusing, I might change it. Let me know! _

_Chapter 1_

_Present Day_

_Village near Southern Pole:_

Inside the small broken down shack, the air reeked of death and fermented rice beer. A man stumbled in to find a spot away from peeping eyes and nosey noses.

He was not on death's bed, but he held the aura of death and despair for one still quiet young. He had a tall frame, but hunched his shoulders forward like a poor soul who had lost everything-not unlike a lot of souls who pass through the _Rotten Tree Saloon_.

The man sat down with a grunt. He kicked up his frayed cloth shoes unto the nicked wooden table.

"Wha' can a ge'ye?" An old, equally rough looking bar maid hollered from her perch at the bar.

The man never bothered to ever know her name. Why would he? The old hag would be dead in a year, if that. There were not many customers in her dirty watering hole on a frightening night like this. It was too cold in the small, nameless village in the Southern Pole for anyone to want to travel in.

The snow wheezed and coughed its way between the unattended cracks of the building. The haggard man flicked his greasy whiskers at the small, untidy barmaid.

"Just the usual." He slapped a few gold Yuan pieces on the table.

He then reached with a long, scared hand into the folds of his thick, Yak-Bear fur coat. Out came a wooden pipe. He then fished for the black flint as the barmaid reached his table with the lovely nectar that he always ordered on cold nights like this…or every night, in fact.

"Ye know," the toothless maid grinned, "you're damned lucky the Avatar doesn' know we sell dis stuff. We wouldn' be able te nurse tha habit of yers anymores."

The man glared at her with his soft golden eyes. "Set it down."

The nasty hag slapped down the cup of Cactus Juice with annoyance, and slid the coins into her withered hands. She shuffled on.

The man heard faint mumblings of '_damned dem former fire Nation rats…and rottin' away on cactus slop and takin up space' _as the old maid made her way back to her position behind the counter. He chuckled dryly as his eyes lowered to his cup.

She was lucky he paid her at all for the piss she served. It was so watery.

He took a small swig, then another. Grabbing his flint, he set his pipe on the table. Striking, the flint erupted a small spout of flame.

As soon as it did, it went cold and the warm air was sucked out once again. A new customer had arrived.

The figure lingered by the door, as the man in corner observed him from across the room. The figure's hood still incased over his head. The man could only guess the new arrival was looking for a lonely spot to sit that wasn't occupied. Or perhaps he was looking for a good observing point, like himself?

As if the dark cloaked figure read the man's mind, the figure's barely visible lips from the candle light curled into a humorless smile and he purposefully made his way back towards where the lonely man sat. He frowned as the stranger came infinitely closer to his table.

Pretty soon, through the pipe smoke, the tall hooded figure reached the man. He shuffled uncomfortably in his chair.

The man tried to ignore him at first, thinking his visitor must be looking for someone else. He went to reach for his cup of Cactus juice when a long slender hand slammed onto the table in front of him. The man grunted, but another hand swiped the cup from his lips, and he went silent. His eyes traveled down upon the exposed hands of his visitor for the first time.

They had intricate, black tattoos of the Air Benders.

"Wha…What are you doing here?" It was too late to flee.

The man's eyes flicked up to the face of the only Air Bender he had ever known, and will know. For once in a long time, his hands trembled. Of all people still alive who wished him dead, he didn't expect to see the Avatar.

Aang, still keeping his cloak up, looked into the prematurely wrinkled face of the man. "I need your help."

The Avatar was no longer the carefree twelve year old boy he had first known. Aang was much taller than expected, and his shoulders had grown into the broad fierceness that he would forever be from here on out. His face no longer held the roundness of a child, but his eyes seemed…the same, yet reflecting sorrow. Underneath the black cloak, he didn't wear the Air Nomad garb. Instead, he sported a plain white tunic, cotton brown leggings, and short boots made from soft platypus-bear hide.

It was odd, and terrifying, to see him so looming.

The straggled, beat down man stammered. "How did-But…

The young Avatar, who must be the age of eighteen now, scoffed with malice. The man shrunk away from him.

"It's pretty easy to find you…I knew you'd be in the scummiest place just rotting away." Aang murmured in contempt as he looked down his nose at the pathetic man.

"What do you want?" The man asked meekly.

"She's missing, Lieutenant." Aang responded morosely.

He didn't need to explain to the brooding, sloppy man whom he was referring to. The man gulped, he hadn't been called Lieutenant for six years now. Was it really only that long ago? It felt like decades.

"You are speaking of your Water Bender friend, aren't you?" The nervous man asked.

"She is not _just_ my friend." Aang growled in a low voice. "She's my _wife_."

"Of course—sorry. Wh-what happened?"

Seeing the concern on the Lieutenant's face, Aang calmed a bit. "I'm not certain but I think she's been taken by…_your friend_."

The man buried his face in his dirty hands, somehow knowing this day would come. "You…have to understand Aang-"

Aang hissed when his own name was mentioned.

The Lieutenant lowered his voice. "I didn't mean for it to go as far as it did. I had no idea what she was capable of doing…" The man was almost pleading now.

For the first time since Aang's mysterious appearance back into the Lieutenant's life, he softened his gaze. "I understand. What you did was what I might have done," Aang's grey eyes, which had once held curiosity, now only held despair. They stared off into the distance, as if he was remembering something horrible, "yet you aided that…_woman_ before, and this time you're going to help me find her. I'm certain it was her that took..."

Aang couldn't say her name out loud as he squeezed his hands into fists. A haunting memory flashed briefly in the Lieutenant's mind. His eyes began to sting but he blinked the would-be tears. He had no more of tears left.

"Absolutely certain it was her?" The former Fire Nation Lieutenant implored.

Aang still hovered over the Lieutenant, then silently as possible, scooted into the seat across from the man.

"Yes…there was a strange bond that both of them shared back in the Desert. You saw how that woman coveted _her_ Water Bending skills; how she pretended to be her friend…" Aang trailed off again, picking someone else's old forgotten bread crumbs off the table with overzealous vindication. Was Aang flashing back to the memories too? The Lieutenant didn't know for sure.

"When I came home after a long campaign, all I found on our bed was this."

Aang reached inside his robe and brought out a small amulet. The amulet bore the water symbol of the Water Tribes but another smaller symbol lay in the circlet of waves; it was a small sun inlayed with gold filigree.

The man took the amulet into his shaking hands and almost threw it across the room; every part of him hated that symbol and he hadn't dreamed he'd ever lay eyes upon it again.

"I can't do it. I can't go back to that place-to her." The man sighed heavily.

"I saved your life, Lieutenant." Aang warned.

The man knew better than to NOT expect Aang to come knocking on his door after those days in the Si Wong Desert. The Lieutenant shook his head in dismay. He knew that Aang would come back for that favor, but he didn't realize it would be like this. He certainly hadn't forgotten everything that had happened.

He had a debt to the Avatar.

Absently, Aang's finger dipped into the man's cup and he flicked his finger over his tight lips. "I could have you arrested for drinking this…" Aang grabbed the sloshed cup of Cactus juice back into his graceful hands. "This doesn't work on you anymore, does it?"

It wasn't so much a question, as it was an inquiry.

Confused, the Lieutenant shook his head, picking up his pipe to take one nervous suck at its delicious tobacco. "I haven't been affected by it in three years. Instead of forgetting, I am reminded each night of my past when I drink it. The memories just…flood in. It's really all I have left."

To the Lieutenant's growing curiosity, Aang smiled an almost genuine smile. "Good, because that is really going to be the only way I can use you. I'm going to need the deepest blocked memories of your days in the Si Wong Desert."

Before the Lieutenant could ask why, Aang slapped a piece of parchment down on the weathered table in front of the pathetic excuse for a Lieutenant. "Ma'am, more Cactus juice please."

The old barmaid either was too preoccupied to notice who had ordered, or she didn't care as she brought over more Cactus juice in two large mugs. She didn't acknowledge Aang in the slightest. Aang's slender chin dipped in a gratuitous motion and the woman greedily took his parchment of Yuan credit into her claws without so much as a nod. The barmaid's hospitality was as dry as the paper in which she held.

"You gave that woman way too much money."

"She needs it more than I do."

"I guess you haven't changed _that_ much after all, Aang." The lieutenant's eyes glistened with amusement.

Surprisingly, Aang's lip grew stiff, and he didn't acknowledge the compliment. He perched his lean elbows on the table, carefully to not expose his tattoos upon his hands. He glared at his old rivalry. His grey eyes hooded with bitterness that even the Lieutenant didn't like to see on the young man's usually kind face.

Getting down to business, Aang motioned for him to drink up.

"Now Lieutenant, before we set off to find her, tell me _everything_ you know about Mirage."

_Author's Note: Yay, my first Avatar: ATL fic! Ah, get on with it in the next chapter. Also, thank you Elite Fanfic for inspiring me for this idea. It's not quite what you had challenged me to do, but I hope it was still an intriguing enough story concept _


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_Six years ago_

_Si Wong Desert:_

The blistering, hot sand festered underneath the Fire Nation officer's boots. He stood there with his feet apart, scimitar sword in one hand hung limp, and the sun blaring into helmet slits as he squinted down at the figure lying on the ground.

A man squirmed near the officer's feet for he had someone else's large sword sticking out of his chest. The man was a Sand bender.

"Please," the Sand bender garbled out as he looked up at him, "k-kkill meeee..."

The doomed bender's mouth filled with blood and he choked violently, grabbing the officer's boot with a weak hand as if to prevent him from leaving him in those last moments of his life. The officer stood there, unmoving, his helmet masking his features. It seemed at first that he was going to ignore the man, but as the officer attempted to jerk his boot away from the dying bender, another voice sounded in the distance.

"Lieutenant! What are you doing over there? Leave the ba-"

The Lieutenant who was the officer, looked back down at the man on the ground somehow wasn't dead yet. The Lieutenant looked up to see Captain Xianu coming his way, but as soon as the captain had said his words, he stopped. Captain Xianu finally approached them. He looked stricken with anxiety.

"Oh," Xianu started as he gazed down at the half dead bender, "you should maybe…help him."

Xianu's helmet was off, and the Lieutenant was able to see the expression on his face: sympathy. He sighed, relieved that someone else was thinking the same thing…although, the Lieutenant didn't want to be the one to do it. He'd never even killed anyone before…until today.

The Lieutenant squeezed his gloved hand but didn't make a move.

Xianu sensed the Lieutenant's apprehension and he took out his small dagger that was attached to his belt. The dagger held the golden symbol of the Fire Nation at the very tip. Then he reached out to grasp it but Captain Xianu jerked it away. The man looked at the Lieutenant fiercely.

"Don't you have something do to with your men, Lieutenant?" The swarthy captain implied as he held the dagger to his side, waiting for the Lieutenant to leave.

The lieutenant almost hesitated, but the look in his captain's eyes told him he should leave. He nodded, secretly grateful, and then with one last look at the struggling victim, stormed off down the sand dune. He walked briskly, not wanting to hear the sound of a throat being slit.

It didn't matter. He would still hear that man dying again and again in his dreams every night after.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Hey Jigan, do you think this was all worth it?" The tanned Lieutenant mumbled to the man sitting on a cot behind him.

They had sieged the Si Wong desert not but two days ago, but there was still a mass of bodies to be dealt with. In search of the Avatar, the 56th battalion had been ordered to lay waste to the lands. The Si Wong desert lay in the barren lands near the Eastern Earth Kingdom and it was miles of nothingness.

The only inhabitants were a tribe of Sandbender, who had only a few hundred members before, was now reduced to a few dozen. Still, they did not successfully intercept the Airbender like they had hoped.

And now, it was all for nothing.

The Lieutenant and his men had but a day or so to just clear the battlefield. He sat resting in the grass woven chair outside his tent under a small, white canopy of shade after a grueling morning or clearing the dead. He stared out at the vastness of the sand hills that rolled before him with strikingly golden eyes set intelligently upon his face. In between those eyes was a crooked, but small boyish nose.

Being a young man of twenty, his hair was cut short and his jaw cleanly shaved. At the moment, he disregarded his armor—even a shirt. It was too damn hot. He ran his hand through his sweaty limp hair as he sipped cold water from his flask.

To everyone on the outside, The Lieutenant looked like your typical snooty Lieutenant who thought himself important just as long as no other officers were around, but little did anyone know of the war that wrestled in his mind.

Besides finding the young Airbender, he wasn't so sure what the reason for this slaughter was. Yet he really had no choice but to do as their General ordered. He didn't want innocent people to die, but of course, the Fire Nation didn't see it that way.

It all seemed less 'grey' and more 'black and white' in the Academy.

He shared the tent with Lieutenant Jigan, a small man who was older than him and not half as intelligent-and Jigan knew he wasn't. This was the reason the Lieutenant liked him so much.

Humbleness is hard to come by in the Fire Nation Army.

He couldn't see Jigan's face, but he already knew what he'd say. "There were reasons…but I just wish we hadn't done it the way we did."

A little comfort weaseled inside him. "Yeah, me too."

The two men sat there, contemplating the horror-inducing events of the past couple of days.

The Lieutenant heard Jigan muttering, "We didn't even capture the Avatar…"

After a few solitary moments of silence, a soldier trundled up to the two Lieutenants' tent, huffing as he got close. The Lieutenant routinely stood from his makeshift chair.

"Sir," The soldier saluted as the Lieutenant returned the gesture, "we have a problem."

"What is it now? I _told_ you, the bodies should be respectively buried-Sand bender and Fire Nation alike."

"No sir, it's…not that."

Jigan walked out to stand beside the Lieutenant. "Well, spit it out then!"

The soldier seemed worried. "We have a prisoner…well a girl, but she, er, there is an incident-

"And why are you telling us this? Isn't Captain Chang in charge of the prisoners?" Jigan yelled, his face turning red.

The Lieutenant put up a hand to calm his friend. "We waste time pointing fingers." He searched the soldier's face. "What wrong?"

The soldier looked mortified as he licked his dry lips. "Sh-she is doing something…horrible to Captain Chang. Please, none of us know what to do!"

With that, the two men followed the soldier through the maze of tents to the far end of the encampment. The lieutenant had no time to put a shirt on and thought he looked rather out of uniform as he approached the female prisoner holding area. A woman guard standing at the entrance to the prison tent allowed them through. She looked at the bare chested Lieutenant with a bit of indignant curiosity as she followed them inside.

The lieutenant had no idea what he would see.

As his eyes adjusted to the darker interior, he saw Captain Chang kneeling in the sand. In front of him was a grotesque image of a corpse leering at him. The Lieutenant and Jigan both recoiled as the Captain cried out in a feeble voice.

"Please! I didn't mean to kill you!" The captain hollered at the deathly specter. He was unaware of the spectating crowd he was gathering inside the tent.

"What is it?" The lieutenant whispered to the guard. "It can't be real, can it?"

The guard's dull eyes looked just as baffled as theirs. "We don't know sir, but _she_ is doing it. She's a witch!"

The Lieutenant gave the woman soldier a disbelieving look before he turned his gaze to the spot he had mentioned. The short, untidy guard was pointing to a small, curled up figure at the far right of the tent. It was a girl, perhaps barely out of her adolescent years. Her foot was chained to a small metal stake in the ground. Her strange, sandy hair was matted with dirt and blood, and her scant rags for clothes were tattered extremely in certain places. Her black eyes were fixated on the Captain as she held her hands out as if she were bending.

The Lieutenant's brows furrowed. "Could she be…_bending_?"

Jigan gave the Lieutenant a look of confusion. "What would she be bending?"

The girl made no indication that she noticed that others had arrived inside the tent-or that they were talking about her. She kept her hands occupied in the air. Her vengfull stare was still fixated on the poor captain.

The lieutenant took a step forward against the warning of the guard, and he inched his way over to the girl. He got closer and noticed the large, bloody streaks across her skinny bare legs. The lieutenant's face changed from curiosity, to anger.

He looked back at the blank-faced guard.

"Who did this to her?" He yelled. The guard gulped, but only shifted her gaze to the captain mumbling in front of the ghostly projection gnashing its teeth.

The gesture itself needed no explanation as the Lieutenant realized the truth. He crawled even closer to the chained girl, and noticed that she didn't look as young as he'd thought. Her face held a deep scowl that reminded him of the exact ghostly figure in front of Captain Change.

He cleared his throat.

"Miss?"

Nothing.

"It's okay…you can stop now."

Black eyes now trained on the young Lieutenant's calm face. Her scowl lessened as she saw him. He tried to keep his face neutral as to not alarm her. The girl's arms lazed a bit, and her lips trembled-a first sign of life.

She coughed and gaged, as if she hadn't spoken in years.

"Hurt."

"I know."

"He needs to pay."

"Yes, and he is; he will, I'll make sure of it."

"Word of a Fire Nation soldier," a laugh bubbled up in her throat but it turned into more coughing, "you are a liar."

Her voice was full of vehemence. She never took her eyes of the Lieutenant now, and the ghostly specter she was somehow conjuring wasn't as prominent. The others in the tent finally started to relax, and even the victimized captain wasn't mumbling as much as he rocked back and forth.

Yet, she didn't stand down and neither did her deathly ghost. It still hung in the air, as if waiting for her commands.

The lieutenant smirked. "I understand that. But, I'm not a…I mean, I'm an officer. I promise this captain will be punished for his…unnecessary treatment of you. Please…" He held his hand out for her to accept. For a moment it looked as if she'd start back up again with her ghastly image-conjuring, but then the blue veins in her neck finally disappeared and she let down her hands with a thud. She rocked in her sitting position, and the rotting, transparent apparition that resembled her finally dissipated into the air.

Condensation started to appear, and trickled down onto the sand beneath. Pretty soon, a puddle of water turned the sand a dark color.

The lieutenant exhaled in relief. He looked at the prisoner.

"Thank you." He said.

The girl frowned but didn't acknowledge. She shifted her gaze back to the whimpering captain. The lieutenant got the hint and turned back to the men behind him.

"Jigan and the rest of you, take him away. I'll take over the prison duties in his place. Put him in the men's prisoner quarters until we figure out what to do with him." The lieutenant barked.

He turned back to the girl and motioned for her to stay calm.

"Guard," he looked at the female guard, "make sure that she is given new clothes and a good wash."

"But sir, water is only given extra for officer use."

"Then use up my ration. When she's proper, come get me." He looked at the dark puddle of soaked up water near where the bizarre illusion had floated only a few minutes earlier-his golden eyes darkened. "I need to ask some questions before we jump to any _irrational_ conclusions."

The guard hesitated. The Lieutenant noticed the fear twinkling in the guard's eyes.

He faced the exhausted, dull eye'd girl sitting on the ground. "That is, if you promise not to conjure any magic tricks again while I'm gone?"

The girl tweaked the corner of her mouth, but only looked at the ground.

The guard finally nodded her compliance. The Lieutenant bit his lip. He sure hoped he had made the right decision. He walked out of the tent without another glance at the mysterious witch inside.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Present Day

Si Wong Desert:

Aang's feet floated gently above the sand, before he found a suitable spot to land. Like a soft breeze blowing in, his cloth shoes touched down. His squinting eyes surveyed the area. The Si Wong desert looked much the same as it had six years ago.

But this spot was different. Much like the hidden library he and his trusty gang had discovered on their adventures, so was there other hidden places in the vast desert.

Dark places.

Before Aang's lithe body, a small cave opening gaped before him. The lieutenant's directions had been correct. After the Lieutenant had told him the story behind him meeting Mirage for the first time, Aang knew he had to find more clues. Some things just didn't add up.

Cactus juice was the only way for the Lieutenant to spill the details into the whereabouts of Mirage's old hideout.

Aang exhaled resentfully. "I wish there was another way into this place."

He didn't like caves. He wished Katara was with him. He'd even take Sokka, if he wasn't preoccupied with Suki on Kyoshi Island. Even Togh was busy traveling in the kingdom searching for promising Earth Bending pupils eager to learn the ways of Metal Bending (and willing to put up with her insults too).

With growing regret, he realized how out of touch he had become with his friends over the last couple of years.

Besides, the last thing he wanted to tell them was that he lost Katara—if everyone found out, he could only imagine the uproar. They would blame him for not protecting her. He felt guilty enough without their finger-pointing. They had every right to be furious. He should have brought her along with him on his attempt to unite the Nations. He shouldn't have left her behind.

Aang grinded his teeth.

The thought of her being held captive brought a sharp ache inside his chest. Why did Katara befriend that horrible woman? After he imprisoned the Fire Lord, the Fire Nation's war criminals were set free. Katara insisted that Mirage be let go. Aang knew in his heart that she wasn't who she appeared to be, but Katara's compassion always got the best of her. A trait that Aang loved, yet loathed.

The dry heat that blew into his eyes didn't help him stave off the tears beginning to rim around his lashes. "It's ok, Katara…I'll find you."

For a split second, he hoped that Mirage would be in that cave, with Katara, and this whole nightmare would be over. Yet, Aang knew better than to underestimate Mirage's cleverness. Mirage knew that Aang would look here first. Mirage would pick a place less obvious.

Momo flitted in a second later, only to drop onto Aang's right shoulder. Aang greeted the chatty lemur with a pat. "Ok Momo, let's see if we can find some clues."

(BREAK IN STORY)

Present Day

Village near the Southern Pole:

The Lieutenant's scraggly body lay in the middle of his stinking bed draped with animal pelts. The arctic air blew in over the looming mountains, and into the gaping holes in his shabby hut. A small, pathetic candle burned on a chipped wooden stool near his tangled head of hair.

After Aang had left for the cave he told him to check out, the has-been Lieutenant tried to avoid public places like the _Rotten Tree Saloon_ for a few days. Having the Avatar personally visiting you in a seedy place like this usually meant you were being arrested.

He was a criminal after all.

He tried to close his eyes, but it was getting harder to remain still after hearing of Mirage's reappearance. Thoughts raced through his mind. She was on the loose now. Should he stay? What if she came for him? He had once loved Mirage. That was short lived. He trusted her more than he should have. What's worse was that he believed that she cared for him in return. How stupid!

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

The Lieutenant's heart pumped adrenaline, and he flung himself off his dirty bed. Drool caked the corner of his mouth, and he hurried to wipe it away with a grimy hand.

"W-who's there?"

"It's Aang. Let me in!"

The Lieutenant shuffled to the door, and cracked it open just a bit. Aang's strong face was illuminated by the candle inside.

"I don't really have a choice do I?"

"Nope."

A groan. "Didn't think so."

The door squeaked open, and Aang swiftly glided in. He forgot how fast the Airbender could be.

"Did you find anything?" The Lieutenant gulped.

Aang held out a piece of brown hair that was still tied in a loose braid. The braid was tied with a blue leather ribbon. The man's eyes grew angry as he searched the Lieutenant's expression. "Tell me what this means, Lieutenant."

"It looks like your-"

"Yeah, it's Katara's hair!" Aang's fury rose. "There is something else I think you need to tell me."

The Lieutenant held up his scarred hands. "Easy Aang. I doubt she's been harmed…Mirage isn't that stupid to kill the Avatar's wife."

A pause. Aang other hand clung to his wooden glider, while he clutched the braid tightly. White appeared on his knuckles.

The Lieutenant then reached for a chipped, porcelain cup that held the remnants of last night's bout of drunken bliss. Before he could press it to his lips, Aang grabbed it from him and slammed it down onto its original place with anger.

"Before you jog your memory, there is one thing that needs to be done." He gripped the Lieutenant firmly by his fur jacket, and rushed him out into the cold night. There was no one out this late, but Aang still insisted on quickly dragging the man into the local bath hut before being spotted.

"Wait, no—" The Lieutenant protested. His heals dug into the snow. They were no match for the strength of the Avatar.

Once inside the steaming hut, Aang tossed the miserable Lieutenant with one crane-like move, and into the tub of mild water he fell.

"AAAAAAHHH!"

"Don't be so dramatic." Aang folded his arms as he looked down at the man swimming in the deep- rimmed tub. "There, that's better. You were beginning to kill my sense of smell."

With a few, well controlled moves, Aang pressed his fire-heated hands against the side. The water began to scold in a pleasant way.

The lieutenant looked up at Aang with baleful eyes. "Ya could have warned me!"

"The best things in life are surprises." Aang reproached with sarcasm.

He stared daggers at Aang. "You used to be such a nice kid."

"Yeah, well that was before Katara was kidnapped. Things change."

A soft exhale escaped the Lieutenant's throat. "Indeed, things have changed."

When the Lieutenant was semi-scrubbed and dried to the best of Aang's bending skills, they headed back to the Lieutenant's hut. It was finally time to leave with the Avatar. He could no longer ignore his plea for help. He had no choice but to help get Katara back.

The Lieutenant only brought a couple of things. He really only possessed a couple things, that is. His old scimitar was the only valuable thing he hadn't pawned off for Cactus juice. Now, with it tied to his side, he mounted a grumpy Appa as Aang held the reins.

He sipped the rotten smelling Cactus juice that gurgled in his flask. It was old, but it would do.

The gooey substance slipped down his throat. Memories started flooded into the sad, pathetic Lieutenant's damaged mind. Clarity replaced grogginess. "Aang, did you find Katara's hair lying in a basket, on a slab of stone?"

Aang's face wasn't visible from where the Lieutenant sat, but his voice said it all. He was intrigued. "Yes it was. It was all very strange."

"I remember now. That was how she hypnotized people. She would take bits of a person's intimate belongings like hair, blood, or a piece of armor tailored to fit just that person, and turn them into her slaves. Body and mind."

He shivered. Silence resonated between them as they flew through the snowless, grey night. The Lieutenant studied Aang's shoulders, waiting for a reply. "Is this what happened to you, Lieutenant? Did she ever take something from you to control you with?"

Subconsciously, the Lieutenant's shaking hand shot to his aching chest.

"Yeah, she did."

They continued to head north.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's Note: Hurray, I've actually updated and added new chapters! Wow. I must be having one of those days when I'm getting things done. Anywho, have fun!**_

Chapter 5

Six Years Ago

Si Wong Desert:

The firelight glowed on the Lieutenant's freshly shaven face as he poured water into a clay cup. He handed it to the strange girl sitting in the chair across from him. Her golden locks were neatly combed and was given a fresh, maroon colored smock that reached to her knobby knees. The Lieutenant remarked how beautiful her skin was; her skin had a glow of milky white and surprisingly didn't have the tanned hue of the Sand benders.

A female guard stood watch outside his tent as he sat down next to the girl. The girl looked at her cup, and with her only free hand, took a sip. Her other limbs had been shackled to the chair.

"Sorry for the shackles." The Lieutenant said as he glimpsed her indifference.

His small talk proved pointless. The girl guzzled the water in one swift motion and slammed the cup down. Those black eyes were not giving any hint of a reply.

The Lieutenant paused for a moment, then continued.

"Look," he scratched the back of his sunburnt neck, "I know we are enemies. I know you don't trust Fire Nation. But, I'm not here to interrogate you right now. You don't even have to tell me what that crazy magic you were doing earlier was or how you did it, but I know you're a Water bender. Why are you out here?"

A flicker of interest crossed her black eyes. Still no answer, however.

"I saw the puddle." He smirked, as if answering the unasked question.

Her eyes lit up, and she gave a twitch of her mouth again. Finally, she spoke.

"Oh?" She answered.

The Lieutenant rather liked her voice. It was light and whispery, but also strong and unyielding-an odd combination.

"Yet," he continued as if she hadn't spoken, glancing at her yellow hair "you don't look like you're a Water bender…"

A small smile inched onto her small lips. "You've been thinking hard about this."

The Lieutenant couldn't help but return her smile with one of his own. "Very."

A huff escaped her lips. "Then why am I even here in your tent?"

"I need a name."

"Why do you want a name?"

"So I know what to call you."

"What use is it for me to give you my name? I am nothing but your pet prisoner."

"Even pets have names." He countered with a smirk.

The smirk was short lived. He knew she was sort of right. What good would knowing her name be? She would be transferred to the prison on Boiling Rock, and then be forgotten. But, it was more than just her name that he was really after. He was genuinely fascinated by her power—her alluring mystery.

As if she read the Lieutenant's mind, the girl flicked her shimmering hair off her shoulder.

"Of course," She glared at the Lieutenant, "You don't want _just_ my name. You really want to know what I am then."

The Lieutenant sat up in his chair. "No, I told you I would not interrogate."

Anger flashed in the girl's face. "And why not, Lieutenant? I'm sure your friends are dying to know who I am. Why are you being so_ polite_? Your politeness isn't working, I hope you know."

It was the first time she had actually addressed him by any name. He realized now that he didn't really know why he was being nice to someone who had probably fought in the battle and had killed many of his men. After all, how did she come to be a prisoner then?

"What good is it to treat you harshly? That didn't work for Captain Chang, did it?" He felt exhausted talking to this girl, "I just want to start with your name."

At least she was responding to him more. Progress.

"Will you tell me your name?" She challenged.

"No. I'm not giving any answers. That's your job in this particular conversation."

"Lieutenant then." She genuinely laughed. It was a squealing laugh. It was so startling, that the female guard outside peeked in to make sure everything was alright. The Lieutenant waved his hand for her to go back to her post. He looked at his guest as she still chuckled in her seat next to his. "Since I can only call you just 'Lieutenant', then you can only call me just 'Mirage'."

"What kind of a name was that?"

"What kind of a man likes to be called 'Lieutenant' all the time? You must be incredibly boring."

Ignoring her jab, the Lieutenant dipped his head. "Alright. Mirage. I can work with that name. It's a fair trade."

Mirage's face went sweet when she took another sip of water. Her black eyes danced.

"You're not like the usual brand of Fire Nation soldiers I come across." She mused. "Breaking rules and treating a lowly Water bender like me like a friend. I like that."

The lieutenant's eyes squinted at her provocative statement. "So you _admit_ to being a Water bender."

"Sure." Mirage replied as if she hadn't given away any crucial information. Her nose prodded the air as if sniffing. Mirage then flicked her only hand that was free to scrap the remaining water out of her cup.

The Lieutenant's hand almost went to the dagger at his belt when she gave him a calming look. He stopped in his tracks.

Her milky hand swished and swirled the water through the air and then with one flattening motion with a palm, the water splayed out into almost nothing. She flexed her hand again, turning her palm upward. It was almost like she was painting a picture out of thin air.

Right before the Lieutenant's eyes, a small image of a white rabbit danced on the table. The rabbit was the size of his thumb, prancing in circles. Its body was translucent but he could still make out small colored details of his fur and face.

It was plain eerie.

"Wow." He marveled at the rabbit-image. He couldn't look away. "How…are you doing this?"

Mirage smiled. "I use the water to reflect light in certain ways, and then I shape it into images."

"It's amazing! It's almost like a mirror. How did you learn this?"

"That, my Fire Nation friend, is a secret."

"So this is why you call yourself Mirage then."

The rabbit finally disappeared, and condensation began to form on the table like it had back in the prisoners' tent, and then soon there was a puddle of that same water she had in her cup a moment ago.

The lieutenant clutched his forehead as if to make sense of this new information.

He had never heard of Water benders that could make images from water. All that he knew was, that if this information got out, Mirage would be tortured until she told the Fire Lord himself where her skills were learned.

Something of this magnitude could be a great threat to the Fire Nation.

Mirage put her hand back into her lap. "You and your army are here because of the Avatar."

Mild surprise crossed the Lieutenant's handsome face. "Unfortunately yes."

Mirage's sparkling black eyes narrowed. "Unfortunately? Why, I would have thought any Fire Nation officer would pride himself in hunting down the most wanted person throughout the kingdoms."

The Lieutenant waved his hand in dismissal. The last thing he wanted to do was tell this odd girl how much he hated hunting some kid across the desert—at the cost of his men's lives no less. "Whatever. Did you ever see him while he was here in the desert?"

Mirage giggled, as if he was telling a joke. Her small, free hand clutched her knee. He frowned even more.

"Oh," she smiled, "but he's_ still_ here, Lieutenant."

The Lieutenant's face went white.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Six years ago

Si Wong Desert:

Mirage gently lifted her shackled arms above the Oasis's glittering, fresh water. The setting sun stuck dark, leaf-shaped shadows on the small pond as it tried to pierce the palm trees surrounding it. Her hands relished the cool sensation of the water.

Behind her, on the shore, was the Lieutenant. His golden eyes couldn't take themselves off the beautiful girl as he sat on the bank. Her small, sheet-like bathing gown was hugging close to her curvy body….

"You're starring again." Mirage sing-song voice floated over to him. She lowered herself in the water so he couldn't see her form. She was teasing him now.

The lieutenant's shaven jaw jutted out. "Not so. I was just admiring how clean you look without all that sandy mud crawling on you."

A tinkling laugh erupted from the stunning woman's small mouth. "Yes, and I have you to thank for this nice bath. It's very luxurious."

A smirk hit the Lieutenant's mouth. "The perks of being an Officer…"

"The spoils of war, more like. Still, it would be more enjoyable if I didn't have to wear the shackles..." Her eyes implored innocently.

He almost had to marvel at her prowess. She was very …convincing when she looked at him like that. He knew he had to remain neutral though. It took his higher ups some convincing to let her bathe in their newly-seized Oasis once he told them she held valuable information.

"You know the rules, Mirage. If I get answers, you get privileges." The lieutenant hollered out.

The shackles she wore were a new invention: Chi Blocking shackles made of the finest Jade-Nickel. It had been a few days since he had first seen her manipulating the devious Captain Chang. He could still remember her awful, contorted hatred. He couldn't trust her while she bathed in the Oasis—the bending she performed was terrifying to say the least.

So, the shackles had to stay.

For all he knew, she could be lying about the Avatar still wandering the desert. He wasn't about to jump to conclusions and lead his men to another deadly encounter with Sand Benders. No, if anything, he would find the boy alone. This was the very reason he hadn't told his General about what Mirage said that night he first talked to her—about the Avatar still residing in the desert somewhere. Sending an army of men to hunt a twelve year old boy seemed a little…brazen.

If he could get the Avatar himself, then everyone here could go home to their families. He too couldn't wait to see his own parents, and sister An-Ji, again. He missed An-Ji the most. He hated that he couldn't protect her like he used to when they were younger. She was too gullible.

Mirage waded around in the deep-end some more, then grabbed a slab of soap he had provided for her from the rocky ledge. She lathered her long, sun colored hair and the Lieutenant couldn't help but scrutinize again.

"How come your hair is so…different?"

"You mean, why it doesn't look like everyone else's?"

"Well, yes."

"I'm not like everyone else, Lieutenant." Mirage gloated proudly. "My people come from a hidden place-an Island far across the farthest sea."

The lieutenant rolled his amber eyes. "Obviously. You are—" he stole another glance, trailing beneath her collar bone "—not from around here. But, how come we have never seen golden haired people before? And why are you here in the middle of the desert, hanging out with Sand Benders?"

"Aaaand you're doing it again. I told you, stop asking me so many questions." She waged her finger in a mocking way.

"Well, technically you're my prisoner and I need to report information eventually. Or else, the General is going to suspect our time spent together…is for other reasons." The lieutenant slouched in the sand, avoiding eye contact while picking granules out with his long fingers. He hoped she didn't see the red appear in his face.

Mirage raised one golden brow. The sun's dying rays caught in her brilliant hair. "Ah. I see. So, would you defend my honor, my dear warden, and tell him of all my juicy secrets instead?"

"Perhaps. I haven't decided if it's worth defending. A little more 'juicy secrets' on the Avatar would be nice." He gave her a smug look.

Mirage slowly stepped out of the water, shaking her wet hair. "Who are you fooling? I know you haven't told your General anything I've relayed to you so far." The lieutenant mouth lay open, not only because he could see through her gown, but that she had figured him out.

He reached for his scimitar as he looked up at her. "How do you know that?"

Mirage held up her shackled hands in a peace treaty. Why was he worried? The shackles should prevent her from Bending…right?

Without warning, Mirage reached her delicate, pale hand out and touched the Lieutenant's loose tendrils of mahogany hair. He almost flinched, but when his eyes caught her gaze, he froze. Despite the odd action, he couldn't help it.

She continued. "Because your Fire Nation friends would be well on their way. Yet, for some reason, we remain here, at the Oasis." Mirage's eyes grew to slits. She studied him. "You're keeping the information for yourself, aren't you? You want to hunt down the Avatar and get all the glory."

Wrong, but he wasn't about to put all his eggs in one basket just yet. He played along.

"Sure, I suppose. Who wouldn't grasp the chance of chasing the Avatar? Even the Fire Lord's own son hunts for him. Why shouldn't I have a shot?"

A slit appeared in Mirage's mouth, and with the sun finally set, he could barely make out her expression.

"But for some reason, I just can't pin you for the 'Glory' type. Nonetheless," Her voice became low, and pumped with pleasure, "I want in. I want to help you find him. And what is even more lucky for you, I know exactly where he is."

The effect she had on him was astonishing. He had encountered girls briefly at the Academy, but of course, none he really cared (or had the time) to date. He wasn't used to this kind of…attention from such a stunning creature. At this point, he knew he would follow her.

As if he no longer had a conscience, the Lieutenant's hands brushed Mirage's. They slid down to the wet, cold shackles encasing her tiny wrists. With one motion, he swiped the keys from his belt, and inserted them into the shackles' keyhole.

Mirage dropped her hands, and shook her wrists. The heavy shackles fell with a soft THUD in the wet sand below Mirage's bare feet. The Lieutenant's heart raced at what he realized he had done. This was the push over the edge he needed. The excuse he craved. Fear had fueled him on, spurring on something he had never felt before—exhilaration mixed with rebellion.

He grinned. "Let's get moving then."

He was now a Deserter.


End file.
